Battlefield V (BETA)

It feels like all the news I’ve read about Battlefield V these last few weeks hasn’t been about what’s going to be in the game at release, but what’s not going to be. That’s because Battlefield V will be using a ‘live service’ model – various features, modes and mechanics will all be added post release for free.

But as curious as I am about the long term content plan of BFV, I’m currently more interested in what will be available upon launch. What am I paying for on Day 1? At the time of writing, I still don’t know. There’s no clear list of release day content in terms of maps, modes or features.

And there’s no clear road map of future content, either. The problem with this live service model is that there’s no guarantees – it’s no different than purchasing a Season Pass without knowing what that Pass will include.

You’re essentially paying in advance for content but you don’t know what that content is, or when it’s likely to be released – or even if it will be released at all. Like I said, there’s no guarantees. Let’s say Battlefield V doesn’t meet EA sales projections – do you really think they won’t scale back their live service plan?

That concerns me. I’d feel far more confident purchasing Battlefield V at release if I had guarantees regarding future content. I understand that things can change during development, and they may be wary to commit to content plans long term. But I find it hard to believe they can’t at least give us a ‘Year 1’ type of road map so we’re clear what content to expect alongside a rough release schedule.

Maybe we’ll get something like that closer to release. I hope we do, because I’m not going to pay in advance for content that EA may decide to cancel if Battlefield V doesn’t sell as well as they’d like. It’s a shame I have to talk about this and not just the game, but it’s an important aspect of Battlefield V that can’t be ignored.

Okay, so how do I feel about the actual game now I’ve played this BETA? Graphically, BFV looks great, but that was always to be expected. And performance, overall, is really good too – aside from a handful of occasions where I’d join a game in progress and get some nasty frame drops, forcing me to quit.

There is one issue I had with the visuals though, primarily upon the Norway map. It’s a very visually ‘busy’ map and I found that playing it for more than an hour or so started giving me a headache. I think it’s all the snow effects – which do look great – but it really does clutter your screen at times, making focusing upon the environment a bit of a strain on the eyes. Obviously, not everyone will suffer this issue, but it was a problem for me.

The lighting in some interiors could also be very dark, particularly on the Rotterdam map – there are places you can sit where you’re practically invisible. Seriously, one time I just crouched in a corner whilst about 4 enemy players stood in front of me totally unaware.

Of the two maps available in this BETA, I’d say I enjoyed Rotterdam more because there seemed to be a better balance between long and short range combat, whereas Norway felt like a sniper’s paradise. I don’t typically like to play as a sniper – because I’m bloody terrible at it – but I frequently did on the Norway map because of how it’s designed – lots of open spaces, long ‘corridors’ with easy shots to line up and near limitless angles.

That said, even the standard Assault class machine gun is surprisingly effective at long range, so you’re not at that great a disadvantage – there certainly needs to be a little more balancing between the various weapons. I would have preferred to use the semi-auto rifles as an Assault, for example, but I felt they were objectively worse than than a full auto machine gun, even at long range.

I’m not sure about the ‘ammo supply’ mechanic, because right now, it just means you’ll immediately head for a ammo and health station as soon as you spawn – your starting ammo is pretty weak, roughly only half of what you can carry for your primary weapon. It feels like it should start you on full, and then use the ammo stations or squad supplies to keep you going.

Speaking of the squad mechanics, the ability to revive your squad mates – even if you’re not a medic – is a neat way of trying to get people to work together, and when it works, it’s pretty great. But, as you’d expect, not everyone seems to care, and I lost count of the amount of times someone on my squad ignored a revive, even when it was perfectly safe to do so. It’s pretty damn annoying, but maybe they’re just not aware of the system yet.

Combat, in general, feels pretty good, but movement isn’t as smooth as I’d like. I frequently got stuck on scenery when attempting to vault or climb over various objects. You’re not quite as agile in combat as the trailers seem to suggest. I can’t say much about vehicles, because I only got to try them on a handful of occasions.

The ‘fortifications’ feature, whereby you can build defences upon the map, is a pretty fun addition and can actually be very effective in some locations, allowing you to block access points for enemy infantry. I also like the destructibility of the environment. It’s pretty exciting when you’re in a house and you see a tank lining up a shot, just before the wall explodes and you get knocked to the floor, before dragging yourself to safety.

I’m not quite decided on the TTK right now. At times, it feels a little too fast, but at others, it feels just about right. I think the key with TTK is that you want to feel like it’s not just a game of ‘who sees who first’. There has to be a moment – even a small moment – where you can react and either return fire, or seek cover. And because there’s no ‘kill cam’ you never know who shot you or where they were, so some deaths can feel rather random and unfair.

And lag can be a bit of an issue. There are moments you’ll shoot people in the head or body multiple times but it doesn’t seem to register, and others when you think you’ve taken cover and avoided getting hit, only to suddenly drop dead due to a ‘bullet delay’ or whatever you want to call it. It didn’t happen often but it was annoying when it did.

As far as bugs go, I saw a lot animation issues, most noticeably with dead bodies. There’s also a horrible audio glitch when houses collapse – it’s loud and painful to hear. It certainly needs some polish and balancing, but it’s not in terrible shape.

So I guess the real question is – did I enjoy the BETA? Overall, yeah, I did. But did I enjoy it enough to drop sixty quid on just the standard release edition? Not at the moment, especially when their ‘live service’ plans are still so vague. I want a clear list of release content and some kind of guarantee regarding future content, at least for the first year. Maybe then I’ll consider it. Maybe.